New York kept on living as usual. People went to work, to school, to the mall, went back home, and did it all over again. Two days ago, a second sun rose over New York. Now it's just a meme on Twitter.
Today, the first episode of the Avengers anime aired, and the internet was furiously debating whether it would turn into a harem plot.
"Idiots," John muttered, switching off his phone.
"Did you say something?" Mary pulled out one earbud.
"You imagined it," he said and deliberately turned to look out the window.
The whole team was riding in a taxi through New York, headed to the Sorcerer Supreme's house. Due to Cain's extreme size, they had to order a luxury limo with a driver.
"How's it going, Harry?"
"Very well, sir," the elderly man in the chauffeur's cap replied, glancing in the rearview mirror. "I'm glad you've chosen our company again."
"Whoa, no way," Cain was taking up two seats at once. "You've had a personal driver before? Johnny, you're kind of a big deal."
"Did you ever doubt it?" John replied in a Don Corleone voice. "Stick close to me, kid, and you'll go far."
Jane giggled, distracted from reading her book on her phone.
Even stoic Harry smiled faintly.
"Sir, forgive my curiosity," the driver said when the car stopped at a red light. "But I couldn't help noticing your style has changed."
"Like it?" John grinned, removing and then returning his skull mask.
"I must admit, the look suits you. Especially next to your… eccentric company," Harry said politely. "Only the young lady seems a bit out of place."
Everyone glanced at Mary, who was dressed in pants and a sweater. It was stylish, but not very superheroic or magical. Without partial release, she was still just a regular schoolgirl.
"A disgrace to the family," Cain said, placing a hand on his helmet. "We're ashamed of her."
Mary, lost in her music, missed the comment, John's smirk, and even Jane's quiet lecture about mutual respect.
The limo pulled up to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
[Looks exactly the same as last time. Gotta at least chip some plaster off today.]
They got out of the car, sent Harry off with a generous tip, and stopped at the unfortunate door.
"Mister Marko," John said gallantly, gesturing forward. "I humbly ask you to do us the honor."
"Mister Blaze," Cain replied in kind. "How could I refuse?"
"Mister Marko, I know no gentleman more worthy than you."
"Ah, how can I say no to such flattery?" Cain removed his hat—sunlight gleaming off his helmet—and stepped back a hundred yards.
"Absolute maniacs," Jane muttered, arms crossed as she watched the pantomime.
"What's going on?" Mary finally paused her music.
"Remember how I said Sorcerer Supreme only opens the door to a… special knock?" John smirked. "Watch."
The unstoppable Juggernaut charged and slammed into the door with his helmet like a battering ram. The clang echoed down the street, windows rattled—but the magical door held.
"Mister Marko, may I join you?"
"Mister Blaze, I'd be honored."
Juggernaut and Ghost Rider began pounding on the door in unison.
Mary stood with her mouth open.
"This is the Sorcerer Supreme's residence! Are you even allowed to hit his door like that?"
"I was also appalled by the vandalism last time," Jane sighed. "But… this really is the only way to get Doctor Strange's attention."
Thunderheart joined her partners, hammering at the poor door.
The noise was deafening—like a construction crew had set up on the block.
The door groaned. The door creaked. The door trembled. But it held firm.
Finally, the magical wards on it began to dim.
Footsteps sounded from the other side. The lock rustled.
"Heh, only took twenty minutes this time," John grinned like a mischievous cat. "Mary, join in next time! With your help, we'll smoke him out even faster!"
The door opened to reveal Stephen Strange, semi-transparent and glowing blue. Another astral projection. And once again, wearing a scowl.
"Jonathan," Sorcerer said slowly. "With every visit, your gang gets bigger. A conman, a thief, a gangster, and… Miss Watson."
"Hi," Mary gave an awkward smile and wave.
"What do you want this time, Ghost Rider?" Stephen crossed his arms. "Do you realize your little stunt is distracting me from actual important matters? The original has to waste mana maintaining this projection just to keep you from wrecking the Sanctum Sanctorum."
"Spare me the whining," John said, walking straight through the projection and into the house. "I've got a mission way more important than your games."
Cain smirked and followed him right through the projection. Jane politely stepped around it and murmured an apology. Mary, meanwhile, was spinning around wide-eyed, taking in the shelves of magical grimoires and artifacts—it was her first time seeing real magic.
"Don't touch anything, young lady," Strange warned, sending out a light magical pulse. "Magic is far too dangerous for the untrained."
"Sorry…" Mary quickly pulled her fingers away from a moving painting.
"Where's Wong?" John settled into the armchair by the fireplace, just like last time. "I wouldn't mind a beer and some snacks. You've got options here for the most refined gourmet, don't you?"
"Wong and the original are helping repel Dormammu's demon incursion," the projection sat in the armchair opposite. "And don't push it—you're an uninvited guest."
"So cruel," John shook his head theatrically. "A little hospitality could at least chip away at that massive debt you owe me."
"Still clinging to your delusions," Stephen said, inspecting his spectral fingernails. "Go on, tell me how you're doing my job and no one appreciates it."
"This time, the entire world noticed," John smirked. "Open the news. Read about the second sun two days ago. I saved New York from a Phoenix attack!"
"Which you triggered yourself with your fire," Strange replied with a patronizing smile. "Until you showed up, New York was in no danger."
"And what about Mammon?!" John raised his voice. "His avatar was walking the Earth and you did nothing!"
"Only a fool stirs up a wasp nest," Stephen met John's glare. "Dario Agger was old news. Without your little stunt, Mammon would've forgotten all about him. You know devils have a warped sense of time—human lives go by too fast for them to care."
Sorcerer and Demonologist locked eyes, their standoff heavy with tension.
The others kept their distance from the brewing storm.
"What's going on?" Mary whispered to Jane.
"Our John has the heart of a banker," Thunderheart sighed. "He tries to saddle everyone with debts."
"Not everyone!" John barked. "Just the ones who don't do their damn jobs!"
"I've got everything under control," Stephen said calmly, not even flinching. "But I'd manage better without your chaotic interventions."
"Why are we even talking to this guy?" Cain clenched his fists. "I could flatten this whole place right now!"
Instantly, four portals opened around Juggernaut, boxing him in.
"Not wise to threaten Sorcerer Supreme," Strange said, shaking his head. "I don't need to kill Juggernaut. I just need to send him somewhere without a return ticket. Take your pick. To the left: the realm of giant spiders. To the right: the forty-sixth circle of Hell. Straight ahead: Snake Island. Behind you: a mind-eater nest."
The portals began to approach in.
John winced.
[Threatening Sorcerer Supreme with fists was stupid. Even I bark but don't bite.]
"Enough!" Jane stepped forward. "We didn't come here to fight—we came to ask for help!"
Thunderheart lowered her head before Sorcerer Supreme.
"I'm begging you. Not for me—for Mary. Without the M'Kraan Crystal, she won't survive."
The portals flickered, then vanished.
The usual smirk faded from Juggernaut's face—he finally understood what it meant to go up against a real mage. Fists alone wouldn't cut it here.
Against mages, you need intellect and charisma.
"That's how you ask for help," Stephen gave John a patronizing look. "You could learn a thing or two from a lady."
"Shut up and help us, henpecked," John puffed his cheeks and turned away, trying not to laugh.
[Like hell he'd help if Jane came alone. That smug know-it-all would've kicked her out with some excuse like 'I must save the fae from a dragon's jaw' or whatever crap. But piss him off just a bit—and he'll smooth things over out of principle. Manipulation magic.]
"Please, follow me to the ritual chamber, ladies," Stephen said gallantly, guiding the girls and blatantly ignoring the guys.
[Arrogant people are as easy to steer as riding a bike.]
The stone hall breathed cold. Faded rune lines covered the floor, soot stains blackened the walls.
Things had been summoned here—things better left unknown.
"The link between Phoenix, its avatar, and M'Kraan Crystal cannot be broken," Stephen mused aloud. "We just need to make the lines visible. I can't waste the original's mana on telekinesis. Jane, you'll assist me."
"Yes, Doctor," the former nurse nodded with full sincerity.
[Yeah, sure. Why ask me—the guy who actually studies rituals and wants to learn more—when you can take an inexperienced girl just to piss me off. Asshole.]
Two hours passed as Jane studied the runes, carefully trying to replicate them with chalk.
Strange wasn't in a rush, but he repeatedly demanded cleaner lines or complete redraws of slightly uneven circles.
Jane, for her part, seemed to enjoy the process. The complex symbols and Stephen's dry instructions reminded her of her old life, where everything depended on precision and patience.
Back then, she saved lives in a hospital. Now—she was saving all of humanity.
Mary had retreated into her phone again—her only tether to normalcy. Texts with her boyfriend, memes, music—anything to avoid thinking about the thing now living in her head.
[Because superpowers are so common these days, it made her fate easier to accept—but not completely.]
John and Cain leaned against the wall, watching the ritual circle take shape.
"Nice ass, though," Cain grinned, watching Jane crawl across the floor. Her shorts hugged tightly as she moved on all fours. "I'd tap that."
"Careful or she'll tap you," John said dryly.
"What're you talking about, man?"
"Well," Rider glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I managed to sneak into Jane's phone once, browsed her history, ended up on some porn sites…"
"Ohhh?" Juggernaut leaned in, waggling his eyebrows. "What's she into?"
"Hard domination and strap-ons. Naked guy all tied up, and the woman's got this big, bumpy thing between her legs. She slides in from behind…"
"You're shitting me!" Cain's eyes bulged.
"They say it's the quiet ones you gotta watch out for," John shrugged. "But hey, don't let me stop you—ask her out sometime. Then let me know how your ass is doing."
"Hell no!" Cain waved him off. "I'll stick with good old hookers."
He glanced at Jane's backside again, winced, and went to scrolling through his phone.
[Heh. Of course I made that up—but the look on Cain's face was worth it. Still, watching Jane like that was a nice view.]
Another hour later, it was finally over. The center of the room was covered in orange chalk.
"Miss Watson, eat this," Strange approached a cabinet of ingredients and pointed to a dried herb pod. "It will make your connection to M'Kraan Crystal visible."
"Ew, gross!" girl coughed. "I'm gonna puke!"
"Don't you dare!" Sorcerer snapped. "Those are coral seaweeds from the bottom of Atlantis!"
"Would've been better if you didn't tell me what it was," Mary grimaced but kept the nausea down.
"Now step into the center of the circle," Stephen ordered. "I'll begin the divination spell."
"I don't feel so good," Mary flushed red. "It's… bursting out—"
"Not on the ritual circle!" Strange shouted.
He didn't get it in time—but John did. Ghost Rider darted to girl instantly. One sweep—air ignited, black flame roared like a beast. Another— and Phoenix entity recoiled in panic, dragged back into Mary's soul. John clenched his teeth—the pain shot through his arm up to the elbow.
[Whew. Made it. That's twice in twelve hours. Don't know how much longer I can keep this up.]
"That was the devil's black flame," Strange tilted his head, squinting. He was clearly analyzing—both the spell and John himself. "One of the strongest spells in the universe. How did you manage to cast it?"
"What, jealous, Doc?" John masked the pain with a smirk.
"Don't flatter yourself," Stephen snorted. "As Sorcerer Supreme, I'm obligated to document magical breakthroughs. Only two sorcerers on this planet wield that spell. Myself and, hmm, one other. I suppose you'll be the third."
"Can we just move on already?" Mary snapped.
"You shouldn't tell Sorcerer Supreme what to do," he gave the schoolgirl a condescending look. "I've already done it."
"When?" John frowned. "I didn't see you cast anything."
"Phoenix's interrupted emergence acted as a booster," Strange said smugly. "Let me craft the link manually, if you catch my drift. You don't need a crowbar if the termites hollowed out the wood."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it—you're the biggest badass wizard in the room," John scoffed. "You're showing off more than Stark ever did."
"John!" Jane scolded. "We're guests, and Doctor Strange is helping us. You could be a bit more polite!"
"Sure, whatever you say," he folded his arms. "Now spill the info so we can finally get out of this snake pit."
"It's not that simple, my dear fellow," Stephen shook his head. "The thief you're looking for didn't just steal M'Kraan Crystal. Someone came to me recently with a complaint about another one of his crimes."
"What's that got to do with us?" John was running out of patience. "Just give us a name and we're gone."
"I have a better idea," Strange smirked. "You'll all go meet the victims yourselves—and resolve their issue while you're at it. You're heading in the same direction anyway."
"Of course!" Thunderheart exclaimed. "We'll help the innocent!"
"Hold it right there!" John cut her off and locked eyes with Sorcerer. "Why the hell should we do your job? If you wanna hire us—let's talk payment."
Cain gave him a thumbs-up. Jane blushed, clearly outraged. Mary tried to stay out of sight, quietly observing the adults argue.
"Or," Stephen said, matching John's stare, "I could simply vanish without saying who your enemy is. That door stunt won't work a second time—I'll just move Sanctum Sanctorum to another dimension. And for the record, I spent time, mana, and rare ingredients tracking down the thief. In your language, John: you owe me."
[God, I hate this guy.]
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